S2 E18: A Friend In Deed (What If?)
"Ah, what a glorious Spring day," Pinkie Pie thought to herself, as she marveled at the early morning sunshine "Just another fine day here in Ponyville. I can't wait to go out and say hi to all of my friends." And as soon as the rooster crowed, that's exactly what she did.
The very first friend she ran into, was a brown coated cow with dark brown spots. Pinkie Pie remembered seeing her at Sweet Apple Acres. "Good morning, Daisy Jo!" Pinkie Pie greeted cheerfully "Have you come to pick up some cookies to go with your tasty milk?"
"Oh ya, Pinkie, don'tcha know?" Daisy Jo replied "Sorry I can't stop to chat today, but I'm going to be very busy."
"That's okay, just being able to say hi to you is enough," Pinkie Pie said with a smile "By the way, Mrs. Cake just baked a fresh batch of your favorite oatmeal."
"Sounds delightful." Daisy Jo mooed, as she made her way past Pinkie Pie and into Sugarcube Corner.
Pinkie Pie quickly made her way into the heart of Ponyville, making sure to stop and say hello to all of her friends whenever she met them. And considering the number of friends she had, it was impossible for her to turn a corner and not meet one of them. Whether they be old friends she'd know for years, new friends she'd known only for a few days, and any kind of friends in between.
Her friends were amazed not only at how friendly Pinkie Pie was, but just how much she remembered about them. And this was a fact that she demonstrated quite well with her good friend, Matilda, an old mule who had lived in Ponyville since moving from Canterlot when she was a young jenny.
"Happy birthday to you, Matilda," Pinkie Pie greeted cheerfully, and before Matilda had a chance to correct Pinkie Pie, she added "In one hundred and thirty two days from now!"
Matilda was most impressed "Pinkie Pie! How do you remember everything about everypony?" she asked "Even I can't keep track of that much information."
"'Cause everyone's my friend and I love to see my friends smile!" Pinkie Pie explained, flashing a bright smile at Matilda "I'm even working on a song about it. It's not finished yet, but it's going to be super duper amazing when I finally work out all the lyrics. I could hum a few lines if you'd like, but right now I've only gotten as far as 'And you fill me with good cheer'. Wanna help me figure out the rest?"
"Oh, I'd love to help you, Pinkie Pie," Matilda replied "But I can't. I'm busy rearranging some things around my house. It's gotten quite clutterd up. Perhaps tomorrow I'll have time."
"Do you need any help?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Thank you for the offer, but I can manage on my own," Matilda told Pinkie Pie "It's mostly just a bunch of small items that need to be put away."
"Okay then, but if you change your mind just call me." Pinkie Pie nodded, and bounced happily away, humming a little tune to herself. "Now, where do I wanna go after 'It's true some days are dark and lonely'?" she thought to herself.
Pinkie Pie focused so much on this thought, that she almost didn't notice when she bumped into a donkey. Said donkey had a coat in a dull brown color, and his green eyes reflected a look of unhappiness that perfectly matched the black locks of hair atop his head. He was hauling a wagon loaded with all sorts of trinkets and nick nacks.
"Oh, I'm so so so SO sorry," Pinkie Pie apologized "I didn't hurt you, did I, Mr. Donkey?"
"Nope. No bumps, bruises, or aches," the donkey replied in a somewhat glum tone of voice "And call me Cranky."
"Cranky, huh?" Pinkie Pie thought outloud, then quickly realized something "I've never seen you before."
"Kid, you're smarter than you look." Cranky said in reply, and went back to hauling his wagon.
"Cranky sure is a fitting name for him," Pinkie Pie thought to herself "It's not going to be easy getting him to be my friend, but I'm gonna try my hardest. I can tell when someone's feeling unhappy, and Cranky's definitely unhappy about something. Lucky for him, I'm just the sort of pony to cheer him up."
Little did Pinkie Pie know, that the key to cheering up Cranky was going to come from the most unlikely of sources. And that Cranky was going to be a case in friend making unlike any other.
Knowing that the key to making friends revolved around both parties knowing each other's names, Pinkie Pie quickly caught up to Cranky, and spoke to him. "Sorry about earlier, I forgot to introduce myself," Pinkie Pie said boldly "The name's Pinkie Pie, but you can call me Pinkie. All of my friends do."
"Friends?" Cranky replied, sounding rather unhappy about the idea.
"Of course, everyone's my friend," Pinkie Pie explained "And you're no exception."
"Listen, kid, I traveled around Equestria my entire life. I've made many friends. I don't need any more," Cranky insisted in a somewhat angry tone of voice "Well, except maybe for that one special friend, but I gave up on trying to find her years ago."
"Who are you talking about?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"It's nothing," Cranky quickly replied "It's a long and sad story, one that I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear. Right now, I just want to be alone with my memories."
"So, you're moving to Ponyville?" Pinkie Pie asked eagerly "'Cause if you are, I'm gonna have to throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!"
"Yes, I'm moving to Ponyville," Cranky said with a sigh, sarcastically he added "What gave you the hint there, kid? The cart full of stuff, maybe?"
"I told you, my name is Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied.
"Well, Pinkie," Cranky said, trying his best not to sound too frustrated "You say you've got lots of friends, so why don't you go off and make more?"
"But I don't need to go when I can stay and make friends... with you," Pinkie Pie explained "You're definitely a friend in need. And a friend in need is a friend indeed."
"What I need the most right now is some peace and quiet," Cranky complained "Is that too much to ask for?"
Pinkie Pie didn't reply, she was too busy staring at a trio of initials on the back of Cranky's wagon. The initials displayed were the letters "C", "D", and "D", and Pinkie Pie read them outloud. "I'm guessing that last "D" is for "Donkey"." she said to Cranky.
"Quick as a whip, kid." Cranky remarked.
"Cranky D. Donkey," Pinkie Pie wondered outloud "Mind telling me what your middle name is?"
"If it'll get you off my back, yes," Cranky said to Pinkie Pie, then he sighed and under his breath he murmured "It's Doodle."
"I'm sorry? What was that?" Pinkie Pie asked "If I'm gonna throw you a party, I've got to know your full name."
"Doodle." Cranky said quickly.
"One more time...!" Pinkie Pie insisted.
Sighing, Cranky cleared his throat and reluctanly said "Doodle." This prompted Pinkie Pie to break into a quick little song and dance routine, much to Cranky's annoyance. "So much for peace and quiet." he thought to himself.
"C'mon now, Doodle, give me a smile!" Pinkie Pie shouted, lifting Cranky's cheeks up so that his mouth formed a smile. But as soon as Pinkie Pie let her hooves go free, Cranky's smile automatically reverted to a frown.
"No one calls me Doodle!" Cranky shouted angrily "Got that?!"
"Uh, yeah, I got that." Pinkie Pie said nervously, and backed away slowly.
"Good, try to remember that fact," Cranky replied, before he quietly said to himself as he walked slowly away "Because the only one who I'd ever give the privilege of using that name left me long ago. Ah, there you go getting all reminiscent again, Cranky. It's becoming a bad habbit. She left, and she's never coming back!"
As Cranky occupied himself with hauling his wagon to wherever his destination was, Pinkie Pie was wondering outloud "What just happened? I've never met anyone so grouchy before. Maybe I messed up my routine somehow?" and she began to mentally go through her checklist of what she did whenever she encountered someone she wasn't friends with "Let's see if I remember it correctly. Meet someone new: check. Introduce myself: check. Sing random song outta nowhere: check. Become instant best friends: uncheck. I don't get it. Was it something I said? Or maybe it was something I sang?" she shook her head to clear her thoughts "This is no time for the blame game, Pinkie! You've got to bring your A game! 'Try everything you can to make Cranky smile and become your friend': check." And after stowing the green felt check mark she'd used away, Pinkie Pie began to make a plan, and it revolved around getting Cranky to open up about this 'special friend' he'd mentioned earlier.
It didn't take Pinkie Pie long to catch up to Cranky again, the wagon he was carrying prevented him from getting anywhere fast. "Hey there, Cranky," Pinkie Pie greeted cheerfully "I think we got off on the wrong hoof back there, I wasn't trying to be rude."
"Well, you were," Cranky hissed "Now would you mind leaving? Right now, all I want is to get to my new home and unpack my stuff."
"You've got quite the collection," Pinkie Pie observed, noticing the huge pile of items from all over Equestria that were stacked on top of each other "Mind if I take a look? Maybe I can take some of it off your hooves!"
"That stuff's not for sale! And keep your hooves off my wagon!" Cranky scolded.
"Okay, Cranky. I promise I won't touch your wagon." Pinkie Pie insisted, then she gasped as a new idea came to her. She ran off in a pink blurr, then came back with a small wagon of her own. This wagon was a brightly colored yellow, not unlike cake batter.
"What kind of a wagon is that?" Cranky asked, stopping for a moment.
"It's my welcome wagon, I use it to welcome newcomers!" Pinkie Pie explained "You gotta let me give you the special welcome that comes with it. It won't take more than a minute or two, I promise." She then proceeded to whimper slightly at Cranky, while making the best sad face she could muster.
Despite his years of experience with various ponies and non ponies making such faces at him, Cranky found that he couldn't bring himself to say no to Pinkie Pie. "Oh, alright. Let's get this over with, I've got places to be." he said to Pinkie Pie.
"Ah, see? Now that's the spirit!" Pinkie Pie said, smiling the biggest smile she had ever smiled. The gleam it displayed was enough to rival even Celestia's sun. Pinkie Pie then turned a crank on the wagon, and in seconds a cheerful melody began playing, as Pinkie Pie happily sang:
Welcome welcome welcome
A fine welcome to you
Welcome welcome welcome
I say how do you do?
Welcome welcome welcome
I say hip hip hurray
Welcome welcome welcome
To Ponyville today
When the song had ended, Pinkie Pie quickly said to Cranky "Wait for it!" Just seconds before the oven in the wagon gave off a ding, and confetti shot out of it like a blast of hot air. At the same time, the party kazoos planted on the wagon fired off a blast of cake batter.
Cranky didn't realize until too late, that the batter was headed straight for him. "Noooo!" he cried, as he and Pinkie Pie were covered in cake batter from head to hooves.
Pinkie Pie quickly ate her way out of the batter "Oh, silly me! I must've put the confetti in the oven and the cake in the confetti cannons! Again! One of these days I swear I'll get it right!" she chuckled "You oughta try some of the batter, Cranky. It's from Sugarcube Corner, and it's guaranteed to make even the most soury of sourpusses smile like they've never smiled before."
But Cranky wasn't smiling. He was too busy panicking at the loss of something that had until just recently been atop his head. "Come on! Where is it, where is it?!" he asked nervously "It's gotta be around here somewhere!"
"Where's what?" Pinkie Pie asked, before her eyes gazed upon an object that was black in color and looked to be rather hairy. This prompted Pinkie Pie to let out a yelp "Spider! Big hairy spider!" she shouted, before she began to bash the "spider" repeatedly "Get it away from me! Get it away, get it away!"
"Stop! That's my wig, Pinkie!" Cranky shouted, pushing Pinkie Pie aside. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. The black haired wig had been smashed into small clumps of hair that were of no use to anyone.
"Oh my gosh! I am so, so, so, SO sorry about this, Cranky!" Pinkie Pie apologized "I can fix this!"
"Please, don't! Anything you attempt now is sure to end in disaster!" Cranky complained, but Pinkie Pie took no notice. She grabbed Cranky, and rushed him across town to the Ponyville Spa.
Aloe and Lotus were surprised when they saw Pinkie Pie burst through the spa doors, with Cranky in tow.
"Pinkie, what a surprise." Aloe commented.
"What brings you here today? Your appointment isn't due for a few more weeks." Lotus added.
"Ladies, this is a spa emergency. Cranky needs help, STAT!" Pinkie Pie declared.
"Can do, Pinkie," Aloe said cheerfully and turned to Lotus "I'll need your help on this one."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Lotus replied "Let's do this!"
Before Cranky had a chance to protest, Aloe and Lotus grabbed him and ushered him away. Surprisingly, Cranky found that the spa treatment he recieved worked wonders. "It's been years since I've felt this good in mind and body," he thought to himself, as he relaxed in a steam bath "I feel just like my young self again. I guess that Pinkie Pie isn't all bad after all."
When the spa treatment had ended, Cranky felt much better. His coat was spotless, and it glistened in the bright afternoon sun. But he still wasn't smiling, mostly because he was still bald. He felt very silly without his whig on, and hoped that no one else would see him in his current state. Just then, Pinkie Pie came bouncing up to Cranky, smiling in a way that Cranky was starting to find enjoyable. "Never thought I'd get used to somepony as hyper as her." he thought to himself.
"Hiya, Cranky!" Pinkie Pie greeted, holding out a box colored a brilliantly bright shade of green, and topped with a yellow bow "I've got a present for you! I know it's probably not your birthday or anything, but I hope you like it."
"Oh, you don't need to give me a gift," Cranky said, politely pushing the box away "The spa treatment was gift enough. I haven't felt this good in ages."
"It's not going to explode or anything. I promise. Just open it, I think you'll like what's inside!" Pinkie Pie insisted. Cranky reluctantly did so, and he was amazed at what rested at the bottom of the box. It was a hair piece that was a bright blonde in color, and had a series of long and wavy lines. "It's a brand new toupee! I had my friend Rarity make it just for you. She calls it the 'dreamboat special'. Try it on!"
Cranky did so, and he immediately fell in love with it. True, it didn't exactly go well with his tail, but he could always dye it later on if that was a problem. "This is wonderful," he commented "Thanks, kid." And he trotted away, still not smiling (though he certainly wasn't frowning anymore).
"He's starting to warm up, but still no smile," Pinkie Pie said to herself "Maybe I'm out of touch. Of course, that must be it! I need to do some smile exercises to get back into shape. And I know just the ponies who can help me." And she trotted home to Sugarcube Corner, bouncing and humming a little tune to herself. She was still trying to work on that new song about smiling. "Now, what rhymes with 'smile'?" she thought to herself.
Once she arrived back at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie trotted up to her room, and slipped into her exercising gear. As she did so, she made sure to turn on her favorite exercising music, to get herself all pumped up.
Upon securing a belt around her waist, Pinkie Pie was ready. "Let's do this!" she said to herself.
It turned out that the ponies she had in mind were the twins, Pound and Pumpkin Cake. And they were hard to please.
Pinkie Pie tried everything to get them to smile, including making funny faces, sticking out her tongue, and boucing up and down. But nothing worked, the twins were not amused.
Having worked up quite the sweat from her exercises, Pinkie Pie sat down to rest. Unfortunately, she forget to check the floor around her, and accidentally sat on a bunch of jacks that lay scattered just a short distance away from Pound and Pumpkin's crib.
Feeling a sudden jolt of pain, Pinkie Pie shot up like a rocket, somehow managing to get herself stuck on the ceiling fan. She spun round and round like a top, before she was thrown into a pile of stuffed animals. Luckly, she wasn't hurt, and the performance she'd unintentionally given was enough to get Pound and Pumpkin Cake laughing.
"Still got it!" Pinkie Pie said to herself.
After she had finished her smile exercises, Pinkie Pie was resting on her bed, thinking to herself about Cranky. "I haven't lost my touch when it comes to smiling, but I've tried everything and I still can't get Cranky to smile," she thought to herself, before sighing "It looks like I'm gonna have to try and find that special friend he was talking about earlier. If only I had some sort of clue where to start my search."
Just then, Pinkie Pie was snapped out of her train of thought by the sound of the ringing bell. Another customer had come to Sugarcube Corner, and with Mr. and Mrs. Cake busy tending to the twins, that left Pinkie Pie to serve the customer.
Quickly bouncing down the stairs, Pinkie Pie made her way to the counter to greet whatever customer had decided to stop by for something sweet. "Hello! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, what I can get for you?" She greeted cheerfully, flashing a sincere smile.
"Do you have any special cakes on sale today?" a perky and friendly voice replied "After all, today is a special day." Said voice belonged to none other than Cheerilee, the school teacher.
"Oh, that's right!" Pinkie Pie realized "Today is your birthday, Cheerilee. Happy birthday to you!"
"Thank you, Pinkie." Cheerilee said with a smile.
"I've got just the thing for your birthday celebration, wait right there!" Pinkie Pie told Cheerilee, and disappeared into the kitchen in a pink blur of motion. She returned shortly with a freshly baked chocolate cake, which she stuffed into a box.
"Wow, you even remembered how much I love chocolate cake!" Cheerilee exclaimed, as she tossed Pinkie Pie the bits to pay for it "You truly are the best friend anypony could ask for!"
"Sorry for not remembering earlier," Pinkie Pie apologized "I've been kind of distracted today."
"It's alright, Pinkie," Cheerilee reassured her "I'm sure you didn't forget on purpose. I'm just glad you remembered now. Can I count on you to stop by to help with the party tonight?"
Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get her mind off of Cranky for a while, Pinkie Pie quickly replied eagerly "You betcha!"
"Good," Cheerilee smiled, and prepared to leave with her birthday cake in tow. Then, she remembered something "Oh, by the way, Pinkie. Have you heard the news?"
"What news?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"A donkey just moved into town, he's living on the outskirts," Cheerilee said, stopping in her tracks "I believe his name is Cranky."
Upon hearing the name "Cranky" Pinkie's eyes widened considerably. "Do you know where exactly he lives?" she asked Cheerilee.
Cheerilee shook her head "No I don't, but you could probably ask Derpy. As Ponyville's mailmare, it's her job to know the address of every single resident."
Derpy was indeed able to point Pinkie Pie in the right direction. Cranky's house was a simple and humble cottage far removed from the center of Ponyville. The perfect location for anyone seeking some peace and quiet.
Cranky had parked his wagon, and was currently in the process of moving the wide assortment of souvenirs from said wagon into his house. And as luck would have it, he was still wearing the toupee he'd been given earlier and hadn't dyed it.
"Hey there, Cranky!" Pinkie Pie greeted "Need some help with your unpacking?"
"No thanks, I don't need or want any help," Cranky insisted "For now, I just want to get settled in."
"Well, can I at least you ask a question or two?" Pinkie Pie said to Cranky "There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now."
"Really? What could you possibly want to know?" Cranky asked.
"You've been all over Equestria, right?" Pinkie Pie asked Cranky.
"You bet I have, and I've got the collection to prove it," Cranky boasted "I've got things from Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Canterlot, Baltimare, Los Pegasus, and even Appleloosa. Just about the only place I haven't been is Cloudsdale, but I'm in no hurry to go there."
"That's a shame, you're really missing out," Pinkie Pie said eagerly, remembering her own trip to Cloudsdale for the Best Young Flyers Competition "I've been there, and it is absolutely amazing! It's like Equestria's little slice of heaven."
"I'm sure it is, but I like my hooves on solid ground, thank you." Cranky insisted.
"So, what were you doing traveling from place to place?" Pinkie Pie asked Cranky, getting back on subject "Was it for a job?"
"Oh no, it wasn't for a job or anything," Cranky explained "I was traveling by choice, trying to find a friend."
"Oooh, I'm always trying to find friends, and today I found you. See how good I am at it?" Pinkie Pie grinned.
"This was different, it was a special friend," Cranky told Pinkie Pie, as she followed him into the cottage "The kind of friend you couldn't find anywhere else. Know what I'm saying?"
"Do you mean like me?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"No, you're extra special, kid," Cranky replied "In your own way no less."
"Yes! I'm in!" Pinkie Pie thought to herself. mentally congratulating herself for her apparent victory "Now's my chance to really press that 'Special Friend' area. Just need to find the right way to ask." Then, her eyes caught notice of the most dazzling ornament, resting on a nearby table. "Woow, where in Equestria did you get this, Cranky?" she asked.
"Fillydelphia, and it wasn't cheap." Cranky explained.
"It's awfully pretty." Pinkie Pie commented.
"Yes, she was." Cranky said in reply, before realizing what he'd just said.
"She?" Pinkie Pie wondered.
But before Pinkie Pie had the chance to ask Cranky, he quickly said "I mean, it was– I mean, it is. Yes, it's pretty. Now put it down!"
Pinkie Pie did so, and that was when she spotted a book colored a soothing light blue. But instead of asking Cranky about it, Pinkie Pie decided to look inside it herself "There's gotta be something in here that can help me out." she thought, and began to flip through the pages. Page after page was filled with photos of Cranky visiting all of the locations he had previously talked about traveling to. One photo in particular caught Pinkie Pie's eye, something about it was very familiar.
However, right at that very moment, Cranky snatched the book out of Pinkie Pie's hooves and shut it with an audiable thud. "Just what do you think you're doing?!" he asked angrily "I don't go snooping through your personal belongings whenever I feel like, now do I?!"
Pinkie Pie gulped, she'd been caught redhoofed "I'm really, really sorry, Cranky." she apologized.
"Oh, you're sorry?" Cranky asked sarcastically "Well that's just fine!"
"I just wanted to ask you about something," Pinkie Pie insisted "I thought your scrapbook could help me."
"Well you should've asked me first!" Cranky bellowed "But you didn't, you violated my privacy! And there is nothing you can do to make up for it!"
"But Cranky-" Pinkie Pie spoke up.
"No buts!" Cranky snapped "I want you out of my house, do you understand?!"
"I just wanted to be your friend!" Pinkie Pie said sadly, tears forming in her eyes.
"If this is how you go about making friends, I want no part of it!" Cranky demanded "Get out and stay out! And don't ever let me catch you snooping through my things ever again, do you understand?!"
Pinkie Pie gulped, and tried to fight back the tears "Yes." she nodded.
"Good." Cranky replied, and slammed the door shut in Pinkie Pie's face. That was enough to get Pinkie Pie to cry. Not overly dramatic or loud or anything, Pinkie Pie wasn't as much of a crier as Fluttershy or Rarity, but that didn't mean she didn't tear up if she was really unhappy. And this was one of those situations.
After allowing herself some time to stop crying, Pinkie Pie tried to turn her attention to the photo she'd seen in the scrapbook, and what was so familiar about it. Numerous attempts to rack her brain failed to produce the answer she wanted.
"Maybe Twilight will know," Pinkie Pie thought to herself, as she wandered back into the heart of town "At the least it's better than just wandering around, moping and feeling sorry for myself." And with this thought process in mind, Pinkie Pie headed for the Golden Oaks Library.
Twilight was more than a little surprised when she answered the door, and saw Pinkie Pie looking noticeably less cheerful. She wasn't crying or frowning, but she certainly wasn't smiling, and the spring in her step seemed to be gone.
"Hey, Twilight," Pinkie Pie greeted "Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk to you about something."
"What sort of something?" Twilight asked.
"Something that's really troubling me," Pinkie Pie replied "I don't know if you can help me, but I don't know who else to turn to."
"Well, I was going to have a talk with Rainbow Dash about the next Daring Do book," Twilight spoke up "But I think I can make time for you really quick."
"Thanks, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said in a slightly cheerful tone "I'm sure you'll do your best."
"Indeed I will," Twilight replied "Now, tell me what's wrong and how you think I can help."
Pinkie Pie sighed "I suppose it all started earlier this morning. I was leaping along, minding my own business, when all of a sudden I bumped into this donkey. I soon learned his name was Cranky, and his middle name is Doodle."
Pinkie Pie proceeded to tell Twilight everything that had transpired over the past few hours, including her intrusion of Cranky's privacy by looking through his scrapbook.
"And that's when he shut the door in my face, and I started to cry," Pinkie Pie told Twilight "After that, I came to see you."
"Well, Pinkie, I do hope you realize that it wasn't right for you to read through that scrapbook without Cranky's permission," Twilight said seriously "Invading someone else's privacy is wrong."
"I know that, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said glumly "And I'm ashamed of myself for it. I wanted to ask him, I really did, but my curiosity got the best of me."
"I'll say," Rainbow Dash commented "No offense, Pinkie, but what you did was pretty rude. I hope you realize that."
"Rainbow!" Twilight scolded "That's not going to make Pinkie Pie feel any better."
"No, no, Twilight," Pinkie Pie replied "Rainbow Dash is right, I'm in the wrong and I should feel bad for what I did."
"I know this is hard for you, Pinkie, seeing that you're friends with everypony, but you just have to accept that Cranky is gonna be an exception," Twilight said kindly "You can't make everypony your friend, no matter how hard you try. Sometimes, you can try your hardest, and you still won't be friends. It happened with Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie. Even years after Equestria was founded, they never really became friends. They accepted each other's differences and still wrote to each other from time to time, but even by the time they passed on they weren't friends."
"I'm aware of that, and I've accepted the fact that I can't force Cranky to become my friend," Pinkie Pie told Twilight "But I really want to help him find that special friend he's been searching for all his life. I know I've seen that one photo before somewhere, but for the life of me I can't figure out where."
"I wish I could help you, Pinkie," Twilight said unhappily, frowning a bit "But I wasn't there, and I don't know everypony the way you do. You know everypony in town on a level that I don't, in a way that's specific to you. You're going to have to figure this one out on your own, I'm sorry."
"Same here," Rainbow Dash added "I don't even really know half the ponies in this town, let alone what sort of photos they keep. Otherwise, I'd gladly help."
"Well, thanks anyways, girls," Pinkie Pie said sincerely "I'll just have to figure this puzzle out on my own. See you at Cheerilee's birthday party tonight."
"Goodbye, Pinkie. And best of luck on your search." Twilight called.
"So much for Twilight being able to help me," Pinkie Pie thought unhappily to herself, as she trotted away from the Golden Oaks Library "Come on, Pinkie. Think, think, think! Where have I seen that photo before?" Then, suddenly, it hit her "Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?! I know just what to do, I can only hope she is indeed who Cranky's been looking for."
It been had a few hours since Cranky had heard from Pinkie Pie. By now, he was starting to feel a bit guilty. True, he had a right to be mad with her for snooping through his personal belongings without his permission, but he hadn't intended to lash out so harshly at her. He could well remember that when he was a young jack, he'd caused his fair share of problems without intending to. "I hope the kid didn't take it too hard," he thought to himself "I guess my temper hasn't really improved since my more energetic days."
Just then, there was a knock at his front door. "Who is it?" Cranky called, as he adjusted his toupee a bit. He was actually growing to like it quite a bit, it made him feel young again.
"Cranky, it's me," Pinkie Pie called from the other side of the door "I understand that you don't want me as a friend, and I'm sorry I invaded your privacy the way I did. But I just wanted to say 'I really am sorry', and I brought you something to at least try to make up for my behavior earlier today."
"Kid, I'm sure you're sorry, but I'm still pretty mad with you for all the trouble you've caused me today," Cranky replied, trying his best not to sound too angry "Right now, I don't really feel like accepting your apology. So please leave me alone."
"Goodness, you really are cranky." a muffled female voice said from the other side of the door.
"It can't be," Cranky thought outloud, as he unlocked the door. But sure enough, when he had done so, standing in front of him was a mule he'd thought for sure he'd never see again "Is it really you?" he asked.
"It can, and it is. How I've longed to see you again!" the mule said cheerfully.
"Matilda!" Cranky gasped, as he rushed forward and gave the old mule the biggest hug his body could manage "But how?" he asked.
Matilda smiled "Pinkie." she replied, causing Pinkie Pie to squeek with delight.
"But... I never even told you about her!" Cranky exclaimed.
"You didn't have to. I put two and two and two together and it added up to Matilda," Pinkie Pie said, holding out six hooves as she showed how she'd reached such a conclusion. "Remember when you were talking about your souvenirs, you said something about trying to find a special friend! And y'know, I wasn't just born yesterday. Nuh-uh! My birthday isn't for another seventy five days, I've made sure to remember it after what happened last time!"
"Huh?" Cranky asked.
"You don't wanna know, from what I've heard she went a bit crazier than usual." Matilda told Cranky.
Pinkie Pie went on explaining "And then, in your scrapbook, there was a flower, an old ticket, and a menu from the Grand Galloping Gala! And I knew I recognized all these things. It took me some time, but I managed to figure why."
"But how could you have ever seen them before?" Cranky asked Pinkie Pie "Not just anyone can get invited to the Grand Galloping Gala."
"Because I also have those things in my scrapbook." Matilda explained.
"And I'd seen them in Matilda's book!" Pinkie Pie said eagerly "And that's when I knew Matilda had to be the special friend you were looking for. What I don't understand is, how did you two get seperated in the first place? You attended the same gala, in the same year, at the same location. And I know for a fact that if I met a friend there, I'd make sure to keep in touch with them as best I could."
"I don't know, Pinkie," Matilda replied "The day after the gala, I left a note in my room for Cranky, informing him that I was moving to Ponyville."
"A note? I never found any sort of note," Cranky admitted "I searched everywhere I possibly could, but I found nothing. I went from town to town to town, searching all over Equestria for you. Until finally, I gave up. I came here to Ponyville to retire from my search, I figured there was no point wasting the rest of my years searching for you. If only I'd know sonner, I would've moved here in a heartbeat!"
"I always hoped that some day you would come and find me... Doodle. And now you have." Matilda said happily.
"Uh. Matilda? No one calls him Doodle." Pinkie Pie whispered nervously.
"No one... but Matilda," Cranky replied, and he and Matilda shared a passionate kiss. When the kiss had finished he turned to Pinkie Pie and gave her what she had wanted to see from the very beginning, a great big smile "Thank you so much for reuniting me with Matilda, Pinkie," he said happily "You've got such a good memory. Just how do you know so much about everyone?"
"It's like I told Matilda," Pinkie Pie said eagerly "Everyone's my friend, and I love to see my friends smile! In fact, I just finished a song about it!"
"Oh, you have?" Matilda asked, to which Pinkie Pie nodded "Then let's hear it, I've been looking forward to it ever since you said you were working on it."
"Okay, here goes!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, and she began to sing:
"So, does this mean that you accept my apology?" Pinkie Pie asked Cranky, once the song had ended.
"Yes, Pinkie, I accept your apology," Cranky replied "We're eternally grateful to you. But... Matilda and I just want to spend some time together in peace and quiet. Especially after a day like today."
"Alright, peace and quiet works for me," Pinkie Pie agreed with a nod "I know it's too soon for us to become friends after what I did, but do you think, in time we might be able to become friends?"
"We'll see," Cranky told Pinkie Pie "For now, Matilda and I have some catching up to do."
"That's fine, you two deserve each other, and I hope you'll both be happy together," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully "But, if you think you're up for it, feel free to come to Cheerilee's birthday party tonight. The whole town's going to be there."
Cranky looked at Matilda, as if he were unsure about what to say. Matilda answered for him "We may swing by for a piece of cake really quick."
"Okay then, hope I'll see you two around." Pinkie Pie said, and cheerfully bounced away humming the tune she had sung earlier. As she did so, a thought came to her mind "I think I learned something today about friendship," she thought to herself "Sometimes, you can try your hardest, but you won't always be able to make a new friend. But that's okay, what matters is that you try your hardest, and do your best to be nice to everyone. It's also important to realize that friends respect the privacy of other friends. Invading somepony else's privacy is wrong, and very rude. But the most important thing about friendship, is that you can't put a price on it, and yet it is worth more than anything else in the whole wide world of Equestria, maybe even beyond."
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Yay, more to read
6998184 Don't worry, more should be on the way soon. If all goes well, I should have a rewrite out each week.
Awesome chapter
Will power ponies be included in this one?
6998762 Yes, it's on the list.
6999067 yes!
Hey there. I have to admit I do like your picks for re-written episodes. I can definitely see and respect your reasoning thus far. Excellent job on the exchanges, emotional content, humor and wrap-up in all the right places of the re-written episodes. Just out of curiosity, though, will you eventually do any of the season openers or finales? It's perfectly all right if not; I'm just curious if it is some sort of unwritten rule of yours. At any rate, I will definitely be looking forward to more of this as soon as time and inspiration will allow.
6999307 I have not ruled out any of the season premieres or finales, but I've already rewritten them to an extent in my "Stallion Six" series fanfic, and I make it a rule of mine to only rewrite episodes that I know I can do differently. I don't want a repeat of my rewrite of "It's About Time" where all I really changed was the ending.
6999921 Fair enough. Yeah, I can understand that.
7000114 If you haven't already, be sure to check out volumes 1 and 2.
I would agree, playing the song at the beginning was far too soon for the episode. Having it at the end makes it so much better and this rewrite touched on the moral more effectively.
A dragon the size of Canterlot Castle? A sentient hypercube? A superintelligent shade of octarine?
Oh. You meant a female mule roughly his age.
I'm Cranky D Donkey and I'm king of the grumps.
I'm Pinkie D Pie and I'm going to be queen of the bakers.
I see what you did there.